Mouth of the Matsumoto River

 

The area of Hagi around the port and the mouth of the Matsumoto River is called Hamasaki.

Though there was still more than a month until Girls day, March 3rd, there were several displays of Hina dolls...

Hamasaki is one of three Historic Preservation Districts in Hagi, though on this visit I was in a hurry to get home so didn't tarry or explore.

I did pass a few old, traditional buildings, and one not so old but in an advanced state of collapse.

The reach the Matsumoto River, the name of the easternmost fork of the Abu River that creates the delta upon which Hagi was built.

I start  to head downstream to the first bridge crossing the river so I can continue East.

I did not know it at the time, but there is a small, unique ferry that crosses over here. On later trips is used it and will write about it then.

I am not sure what the wooden posts protruding from the river were from, but they make great resting spots for seabirds.

Some type of cormorant and some kind of gulls.... forgive me for not being a twitcher...

I head east and pass the big warehouses of a sake brewery.

A little later, a noborigama, the traditional kind of climbing kiln used in Japan.

Hagi is famous for its pottery. Started by kidnapped Korean potters at the end of Hideyoshi's failed invasion of Korea in the 16th century.

This climbing kiln is at the Yoshiga Tabi Memorial Museum. Yoshiga Tabi was an early 20th century potter.

The final shot is at the waterside shed of Japan Fisheries, looking at the Ebisu Shipyard World Heritage Site.

This was where the Mori tried to build a western-style warship in the mid 19th century. I will cover it and the other World Heritage sites inHagi in later posts.

This was the end of day 29 of my walk along the Chugoku Kannon Pilgrimage, and day 30 would begin in a couple of months during cherry blossom season. From here the route is basiclly up the Jaoan Sea coast, through Shimane, my home area, and then through Tottori., a much more relaxed and less populated region compared to the first part of the pilgrimage.

The previous post in this series was the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hamasaki.

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Kanden-an. Samurai Villa with Teahouse, Bathhouse, & Garden designed by a Warlord

 

Kanden-an was the country retreat for the Arisawa family, the chief  retainers of the Matsudaira who controlled Matsue Domain from the nearby castle.

Open to the public on weekends for part of the year, it is not on most tourists' radar, but is a National Historic Site, a National Scenic Site, and an Important Cultural Property.

Located a couple of kilometers from the castle, the way to the villa is along a footpath through the woods until you reach the original gate that would have been used by guests.

It is no longer in use and so visitors now follow the scenic main path up to the villa.

The land was given to the Arisawa by Matsudaira Naomasa, the first Matsudaira Lord of the Matsue Domain.

The 5th head of the Arisawa taught tea ceremony to Matsudaira Fumai when he was a child. Fumai became a great Tea Master and is why Matsue is one of the three main tea ceremony centres in Japan.

The 6th head of the Arisawa, Kazuyoshi, was taught tea ceremony by Fumai and was a great favourite of Fumai.

Meimei-an, another teahouse in Matsue worth visiting was built by Fumai for Kazuyoshi in the Arisawa main residence near the castle.

The teahouse, bathhouse, and garden here at Kanden-an are said to have been designed by Fumai.

Visitors now arrive first at the main villa, built in 1792. If you choose to have tea on your visit, this is where you will have it, looking out over the simple garden and down towards the castle.

The stonework of the paths are very striking, although the garden itself is simply rows of pruned bushes.

Many of the gardens in the Matsue and Izumo area were designed by Fumai's head garden designer, Sawa Gentan, and he is responsible for the Izumo Style Garden. However, it seems he was not involved here, and the garden was designed by Fumai.

Adjacent to the main house is the thatched teahouse, also built in 1792. Unfortunately, it cannot be entered.

From the teahouse, a path leads up to the bathhouse.

Originally, this is where the path for guests would arrive, and the bathhouse was a waiting area for guests before going to the teahouse.

Wating areas for guests to a tea ceremony are quite common, but I don't remember seeing a bathhouse before.

This is not the kind of bathhouse with a tub; rather, it is often called a sauna.

I went to one of these on a visit to Beppu, with a low entrance, dark inside, and a few centimeters of hot water. I was told that such types of bathhouse used to be fairly common.

From the bathhouse visitors head back down to the teahouse and then through a gate to the main villa, in much the same way as visitors would originally.

Though only a few kilometers from the castle, it is said that Fumai used to enjoy his time here.

Kanden-an is still owned by the Arisawa Family.

Other teahouses with gardens near Matsue Castle include the aforementioned Meimei-an, and also the Kangetsu-an

The previous post in this series on Matsue was on the exciting modern architecture of the Kunibiki Messe Conference Centre.

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Sumiyoshi Shrine Hagi

 

Just inland from the beach, and not far from the port in Hagi, is a small Sumiyoshi Shrine.

It was established in 1655, though for three years it was located across the river in the Tsurue district.

According to the story, a merchant from Hamasaki, the area around the port and shrine, was on a boat heading to Osaka when "hardship befell him". He prayed to the kami of Sumiyoshi and was spared whatever the hardship was, though apparently others didn't survive.

He went to the head Sumiyoshi Shrine in Sakai, Osaka, and arranged for a branch shrine to be established in Hagi.

The primary kami are the Sumiyoshi Sanjin; Sokotsutsu, Nakatsutsu, & Uwatsutsu, as well as Empress Jingu. However, a vast array of secondary kami are also enshrined here....

Suguwara Michizane (Tenjin), Sarutahiko, Tamatsushima, Kakinomoto Hitomaro, Suwa no Kami, Hachiman, Okuninushi, Kumano kami, Inari, Konpira, and many more....

The shrine's annual matsuri seems to be the major shrine matsuri in Hagi and has taken place in the summer almost continuously since 1659. There is a small, free museum in Hamasaki that has a collection of paraphernalia from the festival.

Like many shrines and temples, the Sumiyoshi Shrine in Hagi established a kindergarten in their grounds after the war as a way to create income.

The previous post in this series was on my walk along Kikugahama Beach...

if you would like to subscribe by email, just leave your email address in the comments below. It will not be published or made public. I post new content almost every day, and send out an email about twice a month with short descriptions and links to the most recent posts.